Enter the Show Us Your Buckmark Contest.

Enjoy These 2013 Winners.

Use the 2013 winners
of the Browning Show Us Your Buckmark contest
as inspiration for your entry.

These winners were chosen from submissions posted to the Show Us Your Buckmark contest page (here on browning.com) for the 2013 calendar year. The prizes have been awarded in keeping with contest guidelines and requirements. Entries were judged on their ratings by visitors to the Browning Show Us Your Buckmark page, and for their creativity by the Browning panel of judges.

Each of this year's winners stood out from the crowd in some special way. Each is very impressive, but you will quickly notice as you read below that, in nearly every case, the story behind the entry is even better than the entry itself.
If you have never entered, you should try it. You could win a new Browning rifle or shotgun or an outdoor gear package.

Grand Prize winners were given a choice of a Maxus Hunter or X-Bolt Hunter. Runner-Up winners could choose a Browning .22 rifle. This year, some winners decided to upgrade to other guns and even to exchange for a Browning outdoor gear package. The prizes awarded actually appear in some of the photos sent to us by winners after they received their prizes.

2013 Winners

This list includes both Grand Prize Winners and Runners-Up Winners. winners received a choice of Browning firearms or an outdoor gear package.

Everyone likes to know a little bit more of the story behind the winning Show Us Your Buckmark entries.
We’ve put together a few heart-warming stories and photos we think you’ll find very interesting.

Chad Gohlke - Inlaid Deer Grunt

Get to Gruntin’ Like a Ruttin’ Buckmark

The use of decoys and game calls is as old as hunting itself. For Chad Gohlke of San Antonio, Texas, making game calls has been a lifelong passion. His Buckmark inlaid deer grunt call is one of this year’s Show Us Your Buckmark winners.

“I’ve always made game calls and grunts,” said Gohlke. “I started doing inlays of the buyer’s initials on my custom calls, and when I saw the Show Us Your Buckmark contest it seemed like that a Buckmark inlay would be a great idea. “

“The grunt body is made from lathe-turned black walnut,” explained Gohlke. “The bottom is made from the shed antler of a rare Père David's deer that came from a game ranch here in Texas. I cut the hand drawn inlay mortise with a Dremel tool and filled it with a mix of antler dust and epoxy.”

When asked how the grunt worked on Texas whitetails, Gohlke laughed. “It hasn’t left the shelf in my shop yet. Other grunt tubes just like it work great. My friend uses one and swears by it.”

And what does Gohlke have in mind for his next SUYB project? “I’m not sure. I haven’t come up with anything yet, but I need to come up with something quick.” Whatever it is, we suspect it will be quite the project.

Matt Ranson – Staircase Landing

A New Man Cave in the Old Dominion

Outdoorsmen in general (and Browning fans in particular) love to have a space they can call their own. Hunting lodges, gun clubs and the gun counter at the local sporting goods store have always been popular outdoor-guy haunts, and of late we’ve seen the emergence of what is popularly known as the “Man Cave.”

Matt Ranson of Clarksville, Virginia, was putting the finishing touches on his detached garage and wanted something truly unique for the stairway leading up to his own man cave.

“I’ve always been a fan of Browning and Browning products,” said Ranson. “It was an easy decision to add the Buckmark to the landing. The woodwork is all oak, with a natural finish on the lighter sections and a mahogany finish on the darker portions. The Buckmark itself is gold leaf. The whole thing is then protected with a durable bar-top polyurethane finish.”

“It took two good weekends to finish the project,” smiled Ranson. “Looks pretty good.”

Ranson is still adding important details to his man cave. “I’m not sure what my next step is. I still need to build a bar, and I will add a Buckmark or two here and there. I’m still working the design out in my head.”

Well, Matt, for all you do, this Buckmark’s for you!

The photo of the winning entry show a gold Buckmark gracing the stairway landing leading to Matt Ranson’s man cave. Below, Matt is shown in front of his Brownign safe and his chosen prize, a Browning 22 Semi-Auto.

Brett Petrea – Flag Pole Finial

A Fitting Tribute to a Proud Vietnam Vet

Few names are as familiar to generations of American military vets as Browning. From San Juan Hill to the muddy trenches of France, from Omaha Beach to Okinawa, and from Khe Sanh to Khost, millions of our warriors have trusted their lives to military arms with the name of the designer, John M. Browning engraved on the side.

Brett Patera, a welder from Bloomingdale, Georgia, wanted to build something special for his uncle, Tony Pass, a disabled Vietnam vet. Petrea picked up more than 40 feet of stainless steel pipe, fired up the plasma cutter and crafted this incredible Buckmark flagpole for Uncle Tony’s front yard.

“Uncle Tony has always loved his Brownings,” said Petrea. “I thought, as a disabled vet, he’d like a unique Browning flagpole. All the parts are high-purity stainless steel, right down to the pulleys and cleats.”

“It’s pretty hefty, being 40 feet tall,” continued Petrea “It took five guys to tip it up into position. Then the rope jammed so I rented a man-lift to get up there and fix it.”

Petrea hasn’t decided what his next Show Us Your Buckmark project will be, but we suspect it will be impressive. Browning also proudly salutes Uncle Tony and all the brave American men and women who have answered their nation’s call to serve. Carry on.

Marvin Logan – Euro Deer Mount

The Show Me State Antler Stand

Missouri is just about dead center in the middle of the whole USA, and it’s a place where the respect for Browning and the Buckmark run deep. One craftsman who shares that feeling is Marvin Logan of Sedalia.

“I’m not sure where I got the idea for this antler stand,” mused Logan. “I had this nice rack and wondered how I show off my respect for Browning. I looked at some stands others had done, didn’t like any of them, and thought, heck, I can do better than that!”

“The stand is all walnut. I was going to make the base in the shape of the state of Missouri, but that was getting pretty complicated,” continued Logan. “Then I was going to it do the shape of my county, but that’s pretty much a square. I found a nice wood base in a taxidermy catalog and went with that.”

When asked how long this SUYB project took, Logan laughed aloud. “I took the deer in 2009, on the family farm over in Pettis County. That farm’s been in my family for, oh, about 50 years. I think Dad bought it around the time the Beatles started to get popular. I remember it was a great place to gather mushrooms when I was a kid. We’ve had some real good times on that place!”

“It took 2-1/2 years of thinking as to what I wanted to do and then getting the materials together,” said Logan. “I finally finished it just before I entered it in the Browning contest last year.”

Logan is still thinking about his next SUYB project, a hanging Buckmark chandelier, which will involve some metal work, machining, welding and electrical wiring. “That one will end up being a family project,” he smiled.

Marvin, we’ll look forward to “seeing the light” in a future SUYB contest.

Photo, above right: Marvin posing with his new "Show Us Your Buckmark" BLR.

Todd Porter – Rock Crawler Rim Protector

Rockin’ and Rollin’ in Razorback Country

As an avid metalworking hobbyist, Todd Porter of Branch, Arkansas, is always looking for a new project. While spending some time surfing a metal-crafting forum he read that one of the members had recently won a new Browning firearm in something called the Show Us Your Buckmark contest.

“I checked out the Browning website and looked at some of the entries,” said Porter with a chuckle. “Most of them looked like tattoos, and I’m just not a tattoo kind of guy. There were some unique entries using metal that I liked. I do metalwork using the Aransas Razorback logo, so it ought to work with a Buckmark.”

“My SUYB entry is a rim protector for an off-road rock crawler,” noted Porter. “It’s made of 3/16” cold rolled steel and painted flat black. This is a one-off, but I’d love to see a full set of these rolling around on a rock crawler or a big truck.”

When asked about his next SUYB project, Porter thought for a moment. “I’d like to do the Buckmark on a full size truck’s rear bumper. You know, the kind with the big flat surfaces.” He said. “I think cutting out a Buckmark and then putting the brake lights behind it so they shine through would be pretty cool.”

We’ll all be watching for that cool Buckmark truck bumper next time we’re rolling down a country road near Branch, Arkansas.

Bill Worden – Burnished Steel Buckmark

A Rich Patina on Burnished Steel

The distinctive curves and angles of the Buckmark were rendered in burnished steel by Bill Worden of Saint George, Utah.

“I thought a double-layer, 3-D ‘look’ would be really cool and accentuate the border,” noted Worden. “I traced the Browning Buckmark in drawing software, then refined it in CAD and drew the raised border to match the body of the image.”

“It’s 1/4" thick at the edge and 1/8" thick in the background of the main body,” continued Worden. “The two pieces are welded together, then cleaned up before the patina coloring was applied by hand. I used a gel patina made for steel (it’s my own formula), applied it in little spots in random places on the body, then moved the gel around with the air from my airbrush. Moving the patina results in random marbling and patterning that is not repeatable. I wasn't concerned about the edges getting stained, because I had already planned to re-polish the edges to make them bright silver.”

“It's hanging on a wall in my workshop in St. George and it sure gets a lot of great comments,” said Worden with glowing pride. “I put it up on Facebook and it got lots of likes.”

When asked about the danger of rusting Worden said,“It won't rust, as it is coated with an automotive two-part clear coat, the same stuff that’s used on cars and trucks.”

And what’s Worden’s next Show Us Your Buckmark project? “I plan on doing a similar version, but with a grunge-type, slightly irregular, rough edging,” he said. “And the body will be hammered steel to give it some curvature, depth and a 3-D look.”

Diana Hardy – Buckmark Blanket

As a single mom, Diana Hardy has never been much of a hunter or shooter herself, but her teenage daughter Amanda has shot trap on the Del Oro High School team and she loves the outdoors.

“I grew up in the small country town of Loomis, California,” noted Hardy. “When I had children, I wanted them to grow up in the same town with the same values. My 15-year old daughter is my country girl at heart. She rarely asks for anything from me but one day came home and asked me if I could crochet a blanket with the Browning Deer on it for her bed.”

“It took me several days to draw out the pattern correctly and then she picked the colors,” Hardy continued. “I got to work on it and several months later I had created her very own Browning Deer Blanket. She loves it and uses it as her blanket every night. My children are my inspiration in almost everything I do in life.”

“I learned to crochet from my mother and grandmother when I was a little girl,” smiled Hardy. “I’ve tried to teach my kids how, but they don’t have the patience.”

“I’m not sure what my next Buckmark project will be,” concluded Hardy. “Maybe a rug or a needlepoint sampler.”

Hardy reports that Amanda now wants to start hunting, and the new Browning firearm she won will help in that regard. (And Amanda, you’ll probably need to learn how to clean and field dress your own wild game before Mom cooks it.)

As a member of the Del Oro High School trap team, Amanda gets some pointers on mounting the gun from her coach.

Mother Diana Hardy and daughter Amanda are the best of friends.

Terrance Tew – Chocolate Showpiece

How Sweet it…Was

We usually see Show Us Your Buckmark entries rendered in wood, steel, leather or some other rustic material. This seems to be the first time it’s been rendered in freestanding chocolate, and, judging from your votes, it’s a pretty sweet entry.

Chef Terrance Tew of St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, built his free-standing chocolate showpiece as his entry for the Canada Restaurant and Food Association’s (CRFA) annual show. The show’s theme was “Hot Food Presented Cold.”

“I like to combine cooking and the outdoors,” said Tew. “It was my first time working with chocolate, so thought of the Buckmark logo and everything just fell into place.”

“It’s made of both white and dark chocolate, and took at least 12 hours to craft,” explained Tew. “The most nerve wracking thing I ever did was driving the finished piece for 2-½ hours down to Toronto.”

When asked if he snacked during his creation, Tew smiled, “I’m not a huge chocolate fan. After working so hard on it, I really didn’t want to eat chocolate again.”

And what ultimately became of his sweet masterpiece? Apparently it was placed on display at his culinary college surrounded by bright spotlights, which promptly melted the chocolate into a soft (but very tasty) lump.

Tew has no idea what his next SUYB entry will be, but it will have a food theme and will probably include some wild game. In the meantime we’ll all be working up a good appetite.

Terrance Tew’s freestanding chocolate showpiece was displayed at the CRFA’s annual show in Toronto.

One thing is for sure, Tew enjoys creating unique wild game dishes, as you can read about below.

Terrance Tew wanted to share this recipe with our Browning readers.
He’s always looking for novel ideas and new opportunities to put his culinary talents to work.

Tew’s Wild Duck Hot Dog

Makes about 2 pounds of sausage.

Prep Time: 20 minutes, not including chill time

Cook Time: 25 minutes, not including smoking time

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds duck or goose meat

1/2 pound duck or goose skin

1/4 pound rendered duck or goose fat (start with it frozen)

18 grams kosher salt, about a tablespoon

35 grams dry milk, about 1/2 cup

1/2 teaspoon Instacure No. 1

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

A scant 1/2 cup ice water

Method:

Soak your casings in a bowl of warm water. When they are soft, run water through them to check for leaks.

Chop the meat into pieces small enough to grind. Set the meat in the fridge.

Chop the skin into small pieces, about 1/2 inch each. Set it in the freezer. When the skins are stiff but not rock hard, about 1 hour, grind them through the fine die of your grinder. Do the same for the meat. Check the temperature: If the meat and skin is anywhere below 35 degrees F, you can proceed. If not, put it in the freezer until it gets cold enough.

You will now need to work fast, so have everything ready. When the meat and skin is between 28-32 degrees F, put it into a food processor along with 1/2 of the ice water. Buzz it to emulsify, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add everything else to the food processor and emulsify that, which will take a minute or two. (If your food processor is not big enough to handle this job, you will need to split everything into two batches evenly. Keep the second batch of meat, skins and fat in the freezer while you work with the first batch.)

Put the mixture into the sausage stuffer, which you’ve been keeping in the fridge. Put the stuffer, now filled with your sausage, back into the fridge as you clean up. Take the stuffer out and stuff your casings.

Tie off links at whatever interval you want; I used hog casings here, and I made the links about 5-6 inches each. It is important to tie off your links with kitchen string, even if you normally twist off your links. The string prevents the links from unraveling when you poach them.

When all the links are tied, hang in a cool place while you get a big pot of water hot. As the water is heating, prick any air bubbles in the links with a pin or needle that you’ve sterilized in the stovetop’s flame. When the water reaches 170-175 degrees F — this is below a simmer — gently put the sausages in and poach for 25 minutes. Be careful to not let the water temperature get past 178 degrees F, or the links can burst.

As the links are poaching, get an ice water bath ready. When 25 minutes are up, shock the sausages in ice water for 5 minutes.

Article copyright Browning, 2014. Written and edited by Browning staff writer, Scott Engen. Photos were provided by winners of the Show Us Your Buckmark contest and are used with permission and thanks.

Follow Browning:

Catalog Request

Click here to request a free copy. It is packed with photos and specifications for our full line of firearms, accessories, cases, knives, lights, gun safes and technical clothing.Request | Download Catalogs